Developing device



NOV. 22, 1966 w, LIMBERGER 3,286,616

DEVELOPING DEVICE 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed NOV. 1, 1965 J0 venfor: WALTER UMBERGER Nov. 22, 1966 w. LIMBERGER 3,286,616

DEVELOPING DEVICE Filed Nov. 1. 1963 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Fig. 2

Jnvenfor:

WALTER LIMBEEGER AGEN? United States Patent 3,286,616 DEVELOPING DEVICE Walter Limberger, Hamburg-Poppenbutte], Germany,

assignor to Lumoprint Zindler K.G., Hamburg,

Germany, a corporation of Germany Filed Nov. 1, 1963, Ser. No. 320,748 Claims priority, applicIaJtion Germany, Nov. 15, 1962, 43

5 Claims. (or. 95-49 engagement with a developing medium, whereupon it is pressed against the receiving sheet.

Hitherto it has not been possible to provide a developing device which is relatively simple in construction and manufacture, will occupy little space, and in which one copy-material sheet is processed by the surface-developing method, while the other material sheet is fed to the pair of squeezing and transport rollers free of any influence of the treatment medium.

One object of the invention is to provide an improved developing device in which two copy-material sheets are processed in a different manner and one copy-material sheet is maintained free of a direct contacting engagement with a developing medium.

Another object of the invention is to provide a developing device of the type described which is easy to manufacture.

Another object of the invention is to provide a developing device in which one copy-material sheet is guided free of direct contacting engagement with the developing medium, while the other copy-material sheet is merely wetted therewith on its surface.

Another object of the invention is to provide adeveloping device which may readily be adjusted with respect to skew positions.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a developing device in which the processed copy-material sheets will supply a practically dry copy.

According to the invention, a trough with a double bottom is provided which is curved at least" partly and forms a guide path for one copy-material sheet between bottom wall parts of the trough, the double-walled bottom having inlet and outlet openings at the inlet edge of the device and below the pair of squeezing and transport rollers.

This trough with a double-walled bottom may, for example, be made of plastic material in a single operation. Therefore the trough provides a considerably improved device, as compared with known devices for carrying out diffusion development of a copy material, because it is no longer necessary to provide special guide elements 1 adjustable relatively to each other. Thus this trough is of considerable advantage as developing devices of copying apparatus, even without the surface-developing means which are described below.

According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the inner bottom wall is foreshortened adjacent the outlet opening, the extent of foreshortening being defined by the level of a liquid medium maintained above the inner bottom surface.

3,286,616 Patented Nov. 22, 1966 The curved bottom of the trough is preferably extended upwardly at least partly beyond the side walls of the trough in the zone of the inlet and outlet openings, whereby at least at the inlet side an entrance guide is provided by the floor of the trough. In this arrangement it is especially advantageous that an entrance guide surface is arranged in the zone of the inlet opening. This means that, compared with the known embodiments, a developing trough is provided requiring the mounting of one guide surface only; this guide surface may, in a manner known per se, be short and planar or also, for example, curved corresponding to the shape of the trough bottom. Since this is the only guide element to 'be mounted it may be formed with supporting feet arranged along its longitudinal edges which may, for example, be formed byledges to be directly engageable with the inner trough surface for supporting the guide element.

As far as the curved bottom of the trough is concerned this may have a continuous curve by way of example, advantageously in form of an arc in longitudinal section.

The invention also includes embodiments having bottoms which include plane sections and are extended upwardly in a more or less curved manner adjacent the inlet and outlet openings.

According to a preferred embodiment, guide elements are provided in the zone of the inner bottom surface extending along the level of the treatment medium in such a way that a copy material sheet sliding along these guide elements will contact the medium with its side facing the medium. If desired, means, known per se, may be provided to maintain a defined relation between the guide element and the level of the medium required for the contact, in the manner for example of a conventional chick-watering device for adjusting the liquid level, provided of course, the treatment medium is a liquid. Similar results are obtained if a liquid is used, by the provision of floating guide elements arranged such that they will assume the required position independently of the liquid level in the trough.

According to a particular embodiment of the invention the outer bottom surface is directed towards the gap of the rollers adjacent the outlet opening, a groove being provided at the outer side of this bottom surface located below the pair of squeezing and transport rollers and outwardly of the confines of the trough. Thus a liquid return channel may be provided at least at one end of the groove to communicate between the groove and the interior of the trough.

Following, the invention shall be described in connection with two embodiments given by way of example and shown in the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a schematic sectional side view of one embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a sectional view along the line IIII in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a partial top view of the device according to FIG. 1 in which the pair of squeezing and transport rollers is removed; and

FIG. 4 is a view corresponding to FIG. 1 but showing another embodiment of the invention.

In FIG. 1 a trough is shown which comprises an arcuate, double-walled bottom having an outer bottom wall 1 and an inner bottom wall 2. This trough is, for example, supported within a frame 3 which may be part of a copying device (whose nature is merely of interest in that it serves to support the pair of squeezing and transport rollers 4 and 5 by means of which copying material is dispensed). The shaft journals of the pair of squeezing and transport rollers 4, 5 extending beyond the ends of the rollers are jouring frame wall is provided laterally of the sectioned side of the trough part of this wall being shown in FIG. 2 and being designated with the reference numeral 30.

FIG. 1 shows diagrammatically that the squeezing and transport rollers are drivingly connected by a transmission 31. The squeezing and transport rollers are journalled in such a manner that their circumferential surfaces resiliently engage each other. The roller bodies may consist of resilient material.

The trough with the double-walled bottom is adapted for surface developing, to which end guide elements 6, for example in form of horizontally extending rails, wires, or the like, are arranged to span the inner bottom wall. These guide elements may have their ends attached directly to the inner bottom wall 2. This trough is filled above the inner bottom wall with a developing liquid so that its level coincides with the plane of the guide elements 6, and a copy-material sheet which passes along the guide elements will sufiiciently be wetted by the liquid along its side facing downwardly.

FIG. 1 shows a device in which the liquid level is adjusted by the operator to coincide with the position of the guide elements 6. FIG. 4 shows means 7 for automatically adjusting the correct liquid level in a device, which is otherwise constructed in the same manner as that shown in FIG. 1. This adjustment means is formed by a socalled chick watering device, known per se, comprising a supply container 22 from which two channel-like ducts 24, 33 lead into the trough. One duct 33 terminates a short distance above the inner bottom wall 2, and the other duct 24 terminates at the desired liquid level. Except for these openings, the supply container is hermetically closed and may, for example, be provided with a hermetically closeable filling opening.

The inner bottom wall 2 is connected in a liquid-tight manner with the side walls 8, 9 of the trough, preferably forming an integral part therewith, wherein the manufacture with both bottom walls 1, 2 in a single working step represents an advantageous aspect, since the trough may also be constructed in other ways. For example, gluing or welding may be used. With respect to the manufacture in a single working step it should be understood that it is not essential to maintain a uniform spacing between the outer and inner bottom wall over the entire length of this intermediate space.

The double-walled bottom is open at its ends so as to form an inlet opening 10 and an outlet opening 11. Thus a sheet of copying material may be introduced at 10 which will slide along the upper surface of the outer bottom wall 1 towards the outlet opening 11.

While the inner and the outer bottom wall 1 and- 2 are substantially of equal lengths in the zone of the inlet opening 10, it will be noted that the inner bottom wall 2 is substantially foreshortened in the zone of the outlet opening 11, and terminates at a level coinciding with the upper edge of the side walls 8, 9, thus forming together with the side walls a trough for developing liquid, the edges of which having a defined height. It is to be understood that the foreshortening of the inner bottom wall 2 is limited by the fact that its end must always be disposed above the liquid level or the guide elements 6 respectively. That end of the outer bottom wall 1 disposed at the outlet opening 11 extends upwardly in a direction towards the gap between the rollers 4, 5. In the illustrated embodiment a sheet of copying material which is guided over the guide elements 6 will meet at this upwardly extended portion with the sheet of copying material fed along the upper surface of the outer bottom wall 1 before both sheets run into the gap between the rollers 4, 5. Suitably the rollers 4, are resiliently urged against each other and are rotated by driving means in a direction indicated by the arrows. In the device of FIG. 1, a manually operated crank 12 constitutes the drive means. In the arrangement of FIG. 4, a drive motor 34 is disposed at the outer side of the frame wall 29. The drive motor 34 may be combined with reduction gearing.

In the zone of that portion of the double-walled bottom which extends at the inlet opening above the side Walls 8, 9 another guide surface 13 is provided and attached, for example, to the side walls 8, 9. Between this guide surface and the adjacent portion of the inner bottom wall 2 a sheet of copying material can be fed onto the guide elements 6.

At that portion of the outer bottom wall 1 disposed below the squeezing and transport rollers, a groove 14 is arranged to extend along the entire width of the squeezing and transport rollers. This groove 14 is located at the outer side with respect to the trough and is disposed below the roller 4 located outside of the confines of the trough. The groove, the floor of which is designated with the reference numeral 20, serves to gather liquid dripping off from the roller 4. At the ends of the groove 14, channels 15, 16 are arranged terminating laterally of the guide paths for the sheets of copying material in the space between the side walls 8, 9 and above the inner bottom wall 2. These channels 15, 16 serve to return liquid accumulating within the groove 14 to the trough. If two channels 15, 16 are provided, the bottom of the groove 14 has a medial crown from which it is inclined towards both channel openings 18, 19. If only one channel is provided at one side of the groove 14, the bottom of the groove is inclined towards this side. This arrangement assures a sparing consumption of developing liquid.

It is to be noted that the trough is advantageously removably arranged within the frame 3. In case the outer bottom wall 1 is shaped arcuately in longitudinal section the support elements 22, 23 may have correspondingly curved supporting surface 21, 26, whereby it is easy to adjust the trough independently of the horizontal position of the device in such a manner that the liquid is in parallel relation to the guide elements 6.

FIG. 2 shows that guide means in form of ledges 27, 28 are arranged on the outer bottom wall. These ribs 27, 28 cooperate with correspondingly formed guide means in form of grooves provided in support elements 23, 23'. In FIG. 2, the support elements 23 is shown in a section taken along the line III-III in FIG. 1.

The support elements may also be formed in a different manner. In the described embodiment the support elements not only serve to support the trough but also to provide a guide in which the trough may be adjusted.

It is also possible, for example, to omit the guide elements 27, 28 if one of the frame side walls is used as a lateral guide. The support elements may also be formed by straps extending transversely across the entire trough bottom.

In the described embodiment, in which the trough is adapted to be adjusted independently of the horizontal position of the device, the chick watering device 7 is. arranged in such a way that the duct 24 which is terminating at the level of the liquid is disposed above the deepest. point of the trough. According to FIG. 4 the chick watering device 7 is additionally pivotally arranged about I a horizontal pivot pin 25. The pivot pin 25, for example, extends from the frame wall 29 across the trough so that the container is provided with an aperture and may be pushed onto this pivot pin. The aperture and the pivot pin are dimensioned so that the chick watering device 7 is sufliciently supported but is allowed to be pivoted about the pivot pin. This embodiment is particularly suitable if the mouth of the channel 24 has a relatively large cross-sectional area. Due to the pivotal arrangement the plane of the channel mouth may be adjusted in parallel relation to the liquid level independently of the positioning of the frame 3. A ball joint may alternatively be provided between the rotatable pin 25 and a corresponding part of the chick watering device 7 so as to allow adjustment of the frame 3 in parallel relation to the liquid level.

What I claim is:

1. A device for processing two sheets of copying material including a first sheet carrying an exposed latent image adapted to be developed by contacting said sheet of copying material with .a treatment medium and a second sheet of copying material adapted to receive an image transferred from said first sheet, said device comprising: a trough including a bottom and side walls for receiving said treatment medium, said trough bottom being formed as a guide for at least one sheet of copying material, each of the ends of said trough bottom extending at right angles relative to said side walls and extending upwardly in the zone of the upper edges of said side walls; inlet means at one upwardly extended bottom portion of said trough and outlet means at the other upwardly extended bottom portion of said trough; a pair of squeezing and transport rollers arranged above said outlet mean-s relative to said trough; drive means'for said pair of squeezing and transport rollers,

said trough bottom being formed by a double wall including an inner wall and an outer wall, said inner wall conforming to said outer wall and being connected to the side walls of said trough for retaining said treatment medium above said inner bottom wall, said inlet means and said outlet means being formed respectively by a first and a second opening formed between said inner and said outer bottom wall, said second opening being arranged relative to the lowermost point of said trough at a lower level than the adjacent upwardly extended end of said outer bottom wall which is directed between said pair of squeezing and transport rollers; horizontally extending guide elements impervious to the treatment medium and arranged on the inner bottom wall at a level coinciding with the upper surface of said treatment medium, whereby said first sheet of copying material upon sliding along said guide elements is contacted with said medium, said outer and said inner bottom walls of the trough are at least partially arcuately curved in longitudinal section; and frame means rotatably supporting said pair of squeezing and transport rollers and provided with support elements for supporting said trough, said support elements having support surfaces arcuately curved in correspondence with the arcuate curvature of said trough bottom, thereby allowing adjustment of said trough to incline said trough relative to said frame.

2. A device according to claim 1, in which said inlet means includes an introduction guide surface arranged in spaced relation to said inner bottom Wall above the end associated with said inlet means, said guide surface extending in parallel relation to said inner bottom wall having a length corresponding substantially to the section of said inner bottom wall extending between the end associated with said inlet means and the forward end of said guide elements, said introduction guide surface being attached to said side walls.

3. A device as defined in claim 1 wherein said inner wall and said outer wall of said trough bottom are formed unitarily and integrally with one another.

4. A device for processing two sheets of copying material including a first sheet carrying an exposed latent image adapted to be developed by contacting said sheet of copying material with a treatment medium and a second sheet of copying material adapted to receive an image transferred from said first sheet, said device comprising:

a trough including a bottom and side walls for receiving said treatment medium, said trough bottom being formed as a guide for at least one sheet of copying material, each of the ends of said trough bottom 6 extending at right angles relative to said side walls and extending upwardly in the zone of the upper edges of said side walls;

inlet means at one upwardly extended bottom portion of said trough and outlet means at the other upwardly extended bottom portion of said trough;

a pair of squeezing and transport rollers arranged above said outlet means relative to said trough;

drive means for said pair of squeezing and transport rollers,

said trough bottom being formed by a double wall including an inner wall and an outer wall, said inner wall conforming to said outer wall and being connected to the side walls of said trough for retaining said treatment medium above said inner bottom wall,

said inlet means and said outlet means being formed respectively by a first and a second opening formed between said inner and said outer bottom wall,

said second opening being arranged relative to the lowermost point of said trough at a lower level than the adjacent upwardly extended end of said outer bottom wall which is directed between said pair of squeezing and transport rollers;

horizontally extending guide elements impervious to the treatment medium and arranged on the inner bottom wall at a level coinciding with the upper surface of said treatment medium, whereby said first sheet of copying material upon sliding along said guide elements is contacted with said medium;

a frame serving to support said trough and to journal said pair of squeezing and transport rollers;

liquid-level-maintaining means on said frame for supplying said medium to said trough, said liquid-levelmaint-aining means comprising a container hermetically closed upwardly,

a first channel connected with said container and extending downwardly into said trough and terminating adjacent said inner bottom, and

a second channel connected with said container and extending downwardly into said trough, said second channel having a downwardly directed opening disposed in the level of said guide elements for determining the level of said liquid; and

support means on said frame retaining said liquid-levelmaintaining means for pivotal movement thereof relative to said frame, thereby permitting adjustment of the downwardly directed opening of said second channel into a horizontal plane independent of the position of said frame. 5. A device for processing two sheets of copying material including a first sheet carrying an exposed latent image adapted to be developed by contacting said sheet of copying material with a treatment medium and a second sheet of copying material adapted to receive an image transferred from said first sheet, said device comprising:

a trough including a bottom and side walls for receiving said treatment medium, said trough bottom being formed as a guide for at least one sheet of copying material, each of the ends of said trough bottom extending at right angles relative to said side walls and extending upwardly in the zone of the upper edges of said side walls; inlet means at one upwardly extended bottom portion of said trough; a pair of squeezing and transport rollers arranged above said outlet means relative to said trough; drive means for said pair of squeezing and transport rollers,

said trough bottom being formed by a double wall including an inner wall and an outer wall, said inner wall conforming to said outer wall and being connected to the side walls of said trough for retaining said treatment medium above said inner bottom wall,

said inlet means and said outlet means being formed respectively by a first and a second opening formed between said inner and said outer bottom wall,

said second opening being arranged relative to the lowermost point of said trough at -a lower level than the adjacent upwardly extended end of said outer bottom wall which is directed between said pair of squeezing and transport rollers,

the upwardly extended ends of said outer bottom wall being provided, in the zone of said inlet and said outlet means, with upwardly projecting portions extending beyond the upper edges of said side walls; and

a groove-like container on the upwardly extended end of said outer bottom wall in the zone of said outlet means at the outside facing away from the inside of said trough and lying below those parts of said pair of squeezing and transport rollers disposed outside of the vertical projection of said trough for receiving treatment medium dropping from said roll ers, said container having a connecting channel arranged between at least one end of said groove-like container and the inner space of said trough above said inner bottom wall.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,017,816 1/1962 Stuekens 9589 X 3,103,153 10/1963 Limberger 9589 3,116,676 1/1964 Chen Wen Kuo 9589 FOREIGN PATENTS 1,105,023 6/1955 France.

965,675 1/ 1957 Germany. 1,096,199 12/1960 Germany.

759,714 10/ 1956 Great Britain.

20 NORTON ANSHER, Primary Examiner.

C. B. PRICE, Assistant Examiner. 

1. A DEVICE FOR PROCESSING TWO SHEETS OF COPYING MATERIAL INCLUDING A FIRST SHEET CARRYING AN EXPOSED LATENT IMAGE ADAPTED TO BE DEVELOPED BY CONTACTING SAID SHEET OF COPYING MATERIAL WITH A TREATMENT MEDIUM AND A SECOND SHEET OF COPYING MATERIAL ADAPTED TO RECEIVE AN IMAGE TRANSFERRED FROM SAID FIRST SHEET, SAID DEVICE COMPRISING A TROUGH INCLUDING A BOTTOM AND SIDE WALLS FOR RECEIVING SAID TREATMENT MEDIUM, SAID TROUGH BOTTOM BEING FORMED AS A GUIDE FOR AT LEAST ONE SHEET OF COPYING MATERIAL, EACH OF THE ENDS OF SAID TROUGH BOTTOM EXTENDING AT RIGHT ANGLES RELATIVE TO SAID SIDE WALLS AND EXTENDING UPWARDLY IN THE ZONE OF THE UPPER EDGES OF SAID SIDE WALLS; INLET MEANS AT ONE UPWARDLY EXTENDED BOTTOM PORTION OF SAID TROUGH AND OUTLET MEANS AT THE OTHER UPWARDLY EXTENDED BOTTOM PORTION OF SAID TROUGH; A PAIR OF SQUEEZING AND TRANSPORT ROLLERS ARRANGED ABOVE SAID OUTLET MEANS RELATIVE TO SAID TROUGH; DRIVE MEANS FOR SAID PAIR OF SQUEEZING AND TRANSPORT ROLLERS, SAID TROUGH BOTTOM BEING FORMED BY A DOUBLE WALL INCLUDING AN INNER WALL AND AN OUTER WALL, SAID INNER WALL CONFORMING TO SAID OUTER WALL AND BEING CONNECTED TO THE SIDE WALLS OF SAID TROUGH FOR RETAINING SAID TREATMENT MEDIUM ABOVE SAID INNER BOTTOM WALL, SAID INLET MEANS AND SAID OUTLET MEANS BEING FORMED RESPECTIVELY BY A FIRST AND A SECOND OPENING FORMED BETWEEN SAID INNER AND SAID OUTER BOTTOM WALL, SAID SECOND OPENING BEING ARRANGED RELATIVE TO THE LOWERMOST POINT OF SAID TROUGH AT LOWER LEVEL THAN THE ADJACENT UPWARDLY EXTENDED END OF SAID OUTER BOTTOM WALL WHICH IS DIRECTED BETWEEN SAID PAIR OF SQUEEZING AND TRANSPORT ROLLERS; HORIZONTALLY EXTENDING GUIDE ELEMENTS IMPERVIOUS TO THE TREATMENT MEDIUM AND ARRANGED ON THE INNER BOTTOM WALL AT A LEVEL COINCIDING WITH THE UPPER SURFACE OF SAID TREATMENT MEDIUM, WHEREBY SAID FIRST SHEET OF COPYING MATERIAL UPON SLIDING ALONG SAID GUIDE ELEMENTS IS CONTACTED WITH SAID MEDIUM, SAID OUTER AND SAID INNER BOTTOM WALLS OF THE TROUGH ARE AT LEAST PARTIALLY ARCUATELY CURVED IN LONGITUDINAL SECTION; AND FRAME MEANS ROTATABLY SUPPORTING SAID PAIR OF SQUEEZING AND TRANSPORT ROLLERS, AND PROVIDED WITH SUPPORT ELEMENTS FOR SUPPORTING SAID TROUGH, SAID SUPPORT ELEMENTS HAVING SUPPORT SURFACES ARCUATELY CURVED IN CORRESPONDENCE WITH THE ARCUATE CURVATURE OF SAID TROUGH BOTTOM, THEREBY ALLOWING ADJUSTMENT OF SAID TROUGH TO INCLINE SAID TROUGH RELATIVE TO SAID FRAME. 